Simply put: no place like it anywhere. Iwan Reis is a true old world pipe shop. An astonishing array of new and estate pipes of all price points and a glorious wall of tins plus custom blends aplenty make Iwan Reis the Chicago destination for the pipe smoker. Kudos to the fine, enthusiastic staff. A gem of a smoke shop. read more

Fantastic service and very knowledgable. If you are looking to step back in time then check out their smoking lounge which is wooden panel and leather wall to wall. read more

Lovely and helpful staff - very historic shop. Pay a small fee and enjoy the nicely appointed BYOB smoking lounge. A nice cigar lover's retreat. read more

Still the best service and quality in America for cigar and pipe smokers. Also, they have the best "private" lounge for smokers in the City. There is a fee for the lounge, but it is nominal. An evening of peaceful smoking and quiet conversation is priceless. read more

i love this place. You feel like you've entered some sort of 1970's men's club when you go in there, and they have the best selection of loose tobacco for rolling, always fresher than other establishments. read more

Best prices, superb selection, and helpful folks. The only tobacconist I visit these days.

I've been to Iwan Ries about 5 times since moving here in October. What more can you say? Its BYOB and if you want, you can bring your own cigars in. Just pay the $20 cover fee and you have unlimited access to all their amenities (glasses, ice, etc.) for as much time as you want. The lounges are in excellent condition. Chicago needs more places like this! Oh, and the store looks really cool too, plenty of selection cigars and accessories. read more

Lovely people Great selection More than helpful staff True iconic Chicago landmark. Loved it! read more

Great selection, decent prices outside of the ridiculous Illinois tax. Staff is great and welcoming, and a day pass for the lounge is well worth it if you have a few hours to kill. read more

Heh still deciding between "deeply impressive" and "broadly impressive" - will continue research...

Great selection of higher end cigars at reasonable price. Staff very knowledgeable and friendly. Easy access to cigars humidors. Overall recommend to cigar aficionados. read more

This is an old school cigar, pipe and tobacco spot. Great cigar selection and knowledgeable staff. Believe that

Inside is amazing and noticed that the cigars were priced reasonably until it was time to pay. I bought cigars for $16 and after taxes it came out to $21! I didn't realize that tobacco taxes went up to 28%. I went to Binnys on Grand Av bought the same cigars and they didn't charge me that ludicrous tax percent. Something is missing in this pictures especially when the sales attendant has to write the receipt by hand and add with a calculator. read more

Was here about 2 months ago with some friends. It feels straight out of "American Psycho". Awesome environment and staff - I just hope to have some high power business meeting here one day where we talk about taking over the world ;) read more

One of the top 3 cigar shops I've been to in my life. Douglas totally took care of me and showed at least a dozen pipes from affordable ($40) to "look but don't touch" (more than $300) levels. Ethan was money on the cigars. These guys know their stuff and as long as you follow cigar etiquette (be nice, don't snob, say please and thank you), they'll totally take care of you. If you're looking for a new piece, or a vape accessory, there are other CHI establishments that are more for you. If the words "shiny Habano wrapper" mean anything to you, this is your place. read more

this is where i got to get my tobacco in the loop. the people work here are great, and when you buy a pouch of their tobacco, you get to choose your own rolling papers. that is just fantastic. good moist tobacco as well. read more

IR deserves five stars... if its a cigar your looking for, its here. Staff has always been helpful and friendly, as well.

IR is one of the last great family-owned places around. The selection is vast and easily accessible, but the true highlight for me is the service. At my last visit, I was looking to begin the transition from aromatic to English pipe tobaccos--the gentleman there walked me through each flavor-shade found in the tobaccos section, endorsed a few of his favorites, but allowed me free reign for making my selection--not a bit of salesman-like pressure. It is a joy to visit here, whether buying or browsing. read more

Unbelievably good customer service. Super knowledgeable staff. Excellent selection of Pipes and Tobaccos. A Pipe smokers dream.

Great place. If I lived in Chicago I would be a member. Makes you feel right at home.

Excellent selection and attentive customer service. They also have a great lounge!

Hands down, unequivocally, the best tobacconist in Illinois, particularly for pipe smokers. Great selection, and even better treatment from the staff. Do not hesitate to ask questions or just engage in friendly conversation. A pipe smokers dream! Go! Enjoy the history and the tobacco. Make sure you go have a pipe or cigar in the lounge, worth the money. read more

Incredible place. A great environment and a very knowledgeable and friendly staff. David spent over an hour with me helping me to pick just the right pipe from their vast selection. I could not be more impressed. It really is a pipe smokers paradise. read more

An extraordinary cigar shop with a hospitable and knowledgable staff, and a luxurious lounge, in a vibrant part of a great city. If one is from out of town and is looking for a spot to purchase some cigars or even a pipe, this store has a wide selection, especially pipes. The smoking lounge is dark paneled with comfortable chairs. It feels like a gentlemen's club from old London one reads in Trollope's novels. This establishment is well stocked and facilitates the enjoyment of a good smoke. read more

Staff were friendly and knowledgeable. Went in looking for Rocky Patel Decade and Kristoff Maduro cigars and the staff were able to show me the great selection that they had. Cigars were reasonably priced and were handed to me in a perma moist cigar pouch. read more

Awesome store! As a pipe smoker they have a great selection of pipes and tobacco. Had really good customer service, would recommend to anyone who smokes in downtown Chicago. read more

Great cigars! Was traveling for work and they came up clutch with cigars for me and a coworker!

This is a horrible place to review while trying to quit smoking. Iwan Ries is a legacy among cigar shops. One of the oldest in the country and family owned. I came across it by chance years ago and in doing so had some of the most informative sales help about taking up pipe smoking. They have really nice matches there too. This place is a shining example of what customer service used to be like and should still be. read more

Visited Iwan Ries & Co. while in Chicago for a business conference. Had the pleasure of meeting Mark, Harry and Douglas. The selection was fantastic, we decided to try their house cigar and enjoy the lounge. The lounge was perfect couldn't help but wish that we had something like this in Hawaii. Perfect chairs, cool Ac and its BYOB. They supply glasses and ice. After finishing I decided to ask about pipes. Douglas was phenomenal, answered all my questions and even paired me with a beautiful pipe and some tobacco. I never felt pressured at anytime, it was honestly like talking with a friend. We came back two times more throughout the trip to use the lounge. It's been two weeks and I still tell everyone about this place. I have also been looking at ordering from the website just to show my support all the way from Hawaii. This will definitely be my first stop if I were to go back to Chicago. Aloha read more

I am not a cigar aficionado, though sometime I try to pretend, I am really a novice cigar smoker. I was originally a little intimidated when I first walked in as this is a true cigar shop, with floor to ceiling and wall to wall glass cabinets full of cigars. The other patrons all seemed to be well informed and spoke with the staff in cigar lingo i.e. ring size, Churchill or Toro etc. After a minuet of looking around, I was approached by a member of the staff who asked if I needed help. I explained that I was fairly uninformed and was looking for some cigars for the 4th of July weekend. Over the next ten minuets I was carefully guided through the process of picking out cigars and all of my questions were answered and though I am sure some of them were dumb I was never made to feel that it was the case. Though I don't regularly buy cigars, I felt the price was good and I ended up having a great weekend and had cigars for all my friends in addition to the new knowledge I gained about cigars. I will most certainly be back the next time I need cigars. Also if you are a pipe smoker they seemed to have a very hearty collection of pipes and pipe tobacco. read more

Friendly place to pick up a new cigar or two. Relaxing atmosphere to enjoy a stick and get out of the cold.

I can't speak to their cigar offerings since I'm strictly a pipe smoker. But when it comes to pipes, IRC is not only the best shop in Chicago, but also one of the best in the entire country. Makes sense, considering this is the oldest tobacco shop in the country that's still operating (since 1857!). IRC's selection of pipes is excellent (Peterson, Savinelli, Dunhill, and tons of independent carvers), and if they don't have what you're looking for they can probably special-order it for your collection. Their pipe tobacco inventory is also immense, carrying hundreds of blends that are impossible to find anywhere else in the city (including some house blends of their own). If you are a pipe smoker, Iwan Ries is not just a destination but a bucket list item. My only complaint is that their gorgeous smoking lounge has an entry fee even if you make a sizeable purchase in the store, but I love this place so much that I'll still give it five stars even with that quip in mind. read more

The best. Period. Huge selection, knowledgeable staff, tons of pipes, very comfortable, and the place oozes history. This is what a tobacco shop should be! read more

The older staff was good, but a young guy who was given orders to others was rude and arrogant. I was buying a myriad of pipes and he gave me an attitude. I will take my money elsewhere. Why go downtown when I can order off the internet. Bye-Bye Iwan. I will not be returning. read more

If I lived closer, I would be here every day. Tons of pipes and tobacco. Great service!!!

Friendly staff and a great selection of cigars for every taste and budget! I also enjoyed smoking in their private lounge. Whole lot of history in this place being the oldest tobacco retailer in the nation....if only walls could talk! read more

This place is fantastic. I probably spent two hours in there with my wife and she didn't even mind. The guys know a ton about pipes and tobacco. Doug introduced me to a couple of blends I've never had and loved, and with a few tins and an estate pipe I got free shipping home and no tax. I live in Boston and have family in the Chicago burbs, and I'll make sure to go into town and visit here whenever I'm in town. read more

I was helped out by an older gentlemen whos name escapes me at the moment in OCT. I was looking to buy a pipe for my dad for his birthday. I knew nothing of pipes and my dad was not an avid smoker. this gentlemen was a big help and knowledgeable in his craft. I had a very good experience here and would commend this place to anyone. read more

Kevin is a great guy to work with. They have a great varierty and deepth in their cigar selections.

An extraordinary tobacconist's. Filled with every imaginable variety of smokable, at extremely reasonable prices - much lower than one would expect given the atmosphere and the attentive customer service. I crossed their threshold today in search of a pipe, my cigar habit having grown beyond my means as a college student. After finally managing to catch a bus (overcoming the abundant malice of the cta) I arrived just at 5.30, the time at which the doors of Iwan Ries are ostensibly closed. 20 minutes later the impressively moustachioed clerk attending to me was still calmly furthering my quest for the perfect pipe, without evincing the slightest dismay at my ruthless consumption of his time. I left the store entirely satisfied, with a beautiful pipe and two pouches of tobacco, one pouch of which came gratis, along with a czech pipe tool (both courtesy of the generosity and personability of their employees) plus lighter, matches, and pipe cleaners all for significantly less than I had expected to spend. I cannot express my delight at having finally discovered the perfect tobacco store, one combining the character and personal attention of a family shop with the vast range and incomparable prices of a much larger enterprise. *Ask for a free copy of the unappetizingly titled but highly interesting "don't poop in my salad", a book exposing the untruths and malicious interference of the frenzied anti-tobacco lobby which plagues those who enjoy our harmless and pleasant habit. read more